Don't expect a radical shift in the Lions offensive line alignment with Decker out
We're just a few days away from the Detroit Lions home opener and Week 2 game against the Seahawks on Sunday. While it's not set in stone yet, one key player could be missing from the roster for this one and that's left tackle Taylor Decker. Decker left Arrowhead Stadium in a walking boot last […]
We're just a few days away from the Detroit Lions home opener and Week 2 game against the Seahawks on Sunday. While it's not set in stone yet, one key player could be missing from the roster for this one and that's left tackle Taylor Decker.
Decker left Arrowhead Stadium in a walking boot last Thursday and he has now missed three practices this week. There's still a chance that he comes in on Friday and has full practice and everything is fine, but that seems like a long shot.
So what do the Lions do then? I've a seen a lot of Lions fans talk about a shift in lines alignment for Sunday. Basically the idea being that the Lions would move Penei Sewell to left tackle, Halapoulivaati Vaitai to right tackle and Graham Glasgow to right guard.
That is quite the radical shift for what could only be one game. The Lions were optimistic about Decker when asked last Friday. While we don't have the full story on what's up with the injury quite yet and I don't think we will until Friday morning when we talk with Dan Campbell, but this seems like a one week thing.
Yes, the Lions moved Sewell to left tackle for 11 games in his rookie year. That was completely out of necessity because Decker was going to miss half the year. The Lions were also missing Frank Ragnow for nearly the entire season.
The Lions had to use Evan Brown as their center. That got rid of the opportunity to move Vaitai out to right tackle because they couldn't put Brown at right guard to cover Vaitai's absence. It was either start your first round pick at right tackle and go with Matt Nelson, who was an offensive tackle for the first time ever after converting from being a defensive lineman, at left tackle.
Everyone is a lot more experienced this time around. The Lions line can stay in place and just put Matt Nelson out there to play left tackle for presumably one game. He's not Decker, but he should be ok in a pinch, and this is a pinch for sure.
NFL officials told Dan Campbell that St. Brown was one pump away from a flag
Sometimes life imitates art. For the Detroit Lions, that apparently happened on Thursday after Amon-Ra St. Brown's first touchdown of the year. St. Brown did a touchdown dance that's very reminiscent of the infamous Key & Peele sketch that features the official counting the amount of pumps that tight end Hingle McCringleberry does after his […]
Featured image by Junfu Han-USA TODAY Sports
